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Posts Tagged ‘kinesiology taping in cycling’

When it comes to kinesiology taping for athletic performance enhancement, RockTape leads the field. And, if podium results are any indication, RockTape’s cutting-edge PowerTaping protocol could become part of the pre-competition preparation of all champion athletes.

So far this year, Rock Tape athletes have reached the podium over 75 times and have amassed a total of 17 National Titles. Much of RockTape’s initial success was in cycling, but as the following list demonstrates, athletes in any sport can benefit from both PowerTaping for performance enhancement and/or therapeutic taping for injuries.

PowerTaping … Taping Movements, Not Muscles

“RockTape” and “PowerTaping” have been all the buzz lately, ever since NBC profiled these exciting new kinesiology taping products during their coverage of the Winter Olympics. My last post featured an overview of RockTape, also referred to as Power Tape, plus a video of the NBC segment.

Going hand-in-hand with RockTape is an innovative new kinesiology taping method called PowerTaping. Rather than taping an isolated joint or muscle group, PowerTaping protocol focuses on the entire chain of joints, muscles, fascia and nervous system components responsible for specific movement patterns. The result? Improved efficiency of movement, structural reinforcement of correct motor patterns, and improved fluid dynamics, which all contribute to reduced fatigue, faster recovery and improved biomechanical function.

The image above illustrates one of the possible sport-specific movement chains for cycling. The upper body taping reduces fatigue and muscle vibration in the shoulders, upper arms, forearms and wrists – areas that fatigue in events such as time trials.

Note: The PowerTaping Manual is written for sports practitioners, and demonstrates how to apply RockTape power tape to increase athletic performance. It also provides an overview of the science behind the protocol.

RockTape has become the new buzzword on the Ironman circuit these days. It’s “active recovery” properties are helping endurance athletes go stronger, longer–and then recover faster after they’ve finished. My last post briefly outlined five key features that allow RockTape to slow the onset of fatigue and accelerate the process of recovery. This post examines each of these features in greater detail:

1. Greater Elasticity

While most kinesiology tapes have 130-150% stretch, RockTape offers 190% elasticity, giving it a higher tensile strength than other tapes. This allows it to provide superior reinforcement of proper movement patterns, increasing the efficiency of movement. Increased efficiency is directly related to reduced fatigue.

2. Enhanced Lifting Ability

The additional elasticity provides a more consistent lifting of the skin over the taped area, enhancing blood flow to the working muscles. This delays the onset of fatigue during training/competition, and accelerates recovery via a more rapid removal of lactic acid and other metabolic byproducts.

3. Tighter Weave

RockTape is made from 97% high-grade cotton, reinforced with 3% nylon 6/12. This allows RockTape to provide superior structural support, without compromising range of motion.

4. Greater “Snap Back”

The combination of the tighter weave pattern and the enhanced elasticity give RockTape a greater “snap back” or recoil effect. This allows muscles to move more quickly through the contraction/relaxation cycles responsible for movement. The more quickly a muscle can return to a resting state after contracting, the more quickly it can generate the next stimulus to continue its activity.

5. Patented Adhesive Pattern

The acrylic adhesive on RockTape is stickier than other tapes. It is also applied in a new Plow Pattern that looks similar to the tread on a tire. Think of how a tire tread channels water away from the surface to create better contact and less slippage on the road. RockTape’s adhesive backing has the same effect on skin. This allows it to more efficiently remove water and sweat, creating the best “stickability” in the industry.

This is the first in a series of kinesiology taping testimonials, focusing on different user groups. The following testimonials are all from athletes who have benefited from kinesiology taping for sports injuries.

“Something better than any laser, wrap or electric massager. The tape … seemed to have special powers. Every morning before the stage, they would tape us all up, different parts of our bodies … the next day the pain disappeared — it was gone.”—Lance Armstrong, Professional Cyclist (Austin, TX)

“As a Professional triathlete I need to have control over my ability to train and race to my full potential. A medical team I trust, the best training plan and equipment, good nutrition and SpiderTech are huge parts of my success strategy. Spider-Tech technology ensures that I am able to train and race through strains and aches that otherwise would hold me back. The tape played a key roll in allowing me to race pain free as I recovered from a broken heel in 2008. As a professional athlete I need to be able to push my limits by pushing through pain. With the help of Spider-Tech I am able to simply push my limits.”—Ayesha Rollinson, Professional Triathlete (Toronto, Canada)

“Over the last few weeks, I have been having a re-occurring knee injury that I just can’t seem to get rid of with the amount of training I do. There are days where It has been so bad, that I have to completely stop training, and cut training hours on the bike. After finally running out of options I came upon Spider Tech Applications through Dr. Kevin Jardine. I have been using the upper knee spider and it has helped immensely. The difference between wearing the knee spider and not wearing it, is like day and night. With it on I can complete 4 hour work outs pain free and race at a professional level. It is the most amazing tape application I have ever worn.”—Adam Morka, Cyclist (Toronto, Canada)

“It just kind of relieves whatever is hurting … It makes it feel better. I guess it’s the way it lays on the muscles, some pressure release or something.”—J.R. Giddens, Boston Celtics

“… I am running the Chicago Half Marathon this weekend after having a hamstring tear as well as suffering from sacroiliitis … all because of your tape … I have been using your Lower Back Spider as well as your Hamstring Spider for the past few weeks. If it wasn’t for your tape, I don’t think that I could run this race…”—Beth Battaglia, Long Distance Runner

“Bend ART Specialist, Mark DeJohn introduced me to SpiderTech when I had a chronic posterior tibialis injury in my foot. The SpiderTech calf tape, in conjunction with his thorough treatment, helped me get over the injury quickly. Now I always carry a set of SpiderTech tape kits in my car.”—Conrad Stoltz, 3x XTERRA Triathlete, World Champion

Kinesiology tape is becoming a viral marketing phenomenon. Why? Because it works! It is a safe, inexpensive, noninvasive modality for relieving pain, reducing inflammation and enhancing performance. No wonder both professional and amateur athletes around the world are now using it and loving it.

Lance Armstrong was one of the first world class athletes to extol the virtues of kinesiology taping as an athletic tape for sports injuries. Following is an excerpt from his 2003 book, “Every Second Counts,” written with Sally Jenkins (2003, Broadway Books, a division of Random House).

“The team wasn’t just the riders. It was the mechanics, masseurs, chefs, seigneurs, and doctors. But the most important man on the team may have been our chiropractor.

The Tour hurt in a dozen different ways. We were all sore. Sore necks, sore knees, sore hamstrings. Guys got tendinitis all the time. They crashed, or they rode in a fixed position for hours on end, and they got it. They woke up one morning and it was in an elbow or a knee.

The guy who put us all back together was our chiropractor, Jeff Spencer … Jeff is part doctor, part guru, part medicine man. He had all kinds of strange gizmos and rituals and cures, a remedy for every condition. He did things we had no explanation for-but they seemed to work. His methods ranged from basic stretching and massage to high-tech lasers, strange wraps, tinctures, and bandages. If you got road rash, he put a silvery wrap on the injury, and shot you with a laser. George swore Jeff’s lasers made road rash heal twice as fast.

Sometimes he did things to parts of your body that didn’t hurt. Let’s say your foot hurt. He’d shoot the laser at your neck, and talk to you about “nerve connections,” while you half-listened. But the next day, your foot would be better.

But Jeff had something that was better than any laser, wrap, or electric massager. He had The Tape. It was a special hot-pink athletic tape that came from Japan and seemed to have special powers. George got a problem with his lower back. Jeff turned him around and started putting hot-pink tape on it. George thought, “How can that help?” But the next day the pain had disappeared – it was gone.

” … it could fix things. It could seriously fix things …”

We swore by Jeff’s pink tape. He would tape the hell out of anything. You had a tweaky knee? He taped it. A guy would start to get tendinitis and he’d say, “Don’t worry. No problem. We’ll tape it.” We all had pink tape on our legs.

Every morning before the stage, he’d tape us all up, different parts of our bodies. He’d do George’s back, Chechu’s knees. Sometimes we’d be so wrapped up in hot-pink tape that we’d look like dolls, a bunch of broken dolls.

One day, Johan went to him and said, “The tape is too flashy. People see the tape, and they think we’re all screwed up.” Jeff said, “What do you want me to do?”

“Tone down the tape,” he said. “Can’t you get the gray color?” But the pink tape worked, so we kept it, because it could fix things. It could seriously fix things.”

Long distance competitive cycling is a one of the most grueling endurance sports in existence. Hour after hour of pedaling up and down some of the most mountainous terrain in the world takes a huge toll on the knees, thigh muscles and calf muscles as they scream for relief. In addition, the forward leaning posture of cycling creates long-term stress and strain on the muscles of the neck and back. With many races conducted over days (or even weeks), there is virtually no time for overused, fatigued joints and muscles to properly recover.

Cyclists are always looking for ways to accelerate their bodys’ recovery – both from intense exertion and from injuries. Recently, more and more racers have been turning to a unique and effective tool that helps in both of these areas.

This exciting new discovery is kinesiology tape, the very thin, very lightweight, very stretchy, colored tape that has been seen on numerous athletes since coming to prominence in the Beijing Olympics. Applied over a fatigued muscle, kinesiology tape accelerates the recovery process by increasing blood flow and removal of waste products. Applied to an injured joint, it can prevent harmful movement while still allowing a safe range of motion. This is a huge benefit to professional athletes who prefer to continue training and/or competing through minor injuries.

One team that has benefitted greatly from kinesiology taping is Team Planet Energy, Canada’s top professional cycling team. Team Planet Energy uses SpiderTech Pre-Cut Kinesiology Tape on a regular basis, for both training and competing.

Team Planet Energy rider Ryan Roth said, “I’ve used SpiderTech combined with treatment … and was quickly able to resolve the trouble I was having with my knee with very little training time lost. I’ve continued using SpiderTech during my recovery and as a preventative measure.”